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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens ballroom dance at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens do line dancing at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens ballroom dance at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens ballroom dance at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens do line dancing at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
John Taylor and Carol Downey of The Tradewinds Duo provide live music for ballroom dancing at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens ballroom dance at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens ballroom dance at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Senior citizens ballroom dance at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025.
Just about every Monday night in Vestavia Hills, you can count on one thing – there’s going to be music and dancing at the Vestavia Hills Civic Center.
The dances are put on by the Vestavia Hills Department of Parks & Leisure Services as part of the senior citizen programming. The target audience is age 55 and older, but anyone is welcome, said Carl Jones, who organizes the dances with Doris Kenny.
The dances take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., but if you come a little early at 6, you can get free beginner ballroom dance lessons, Jones said.
The music is a blend of 1950s and 1960s big band-style music with some pop songs mixed in, he said. The Tradewinds Duo of Carol Downey and John Taylor provide live music every other week, and Jones serves as a disc jockey the other weeks.
They have couples dances, such as the swing, waltz and tango, and line dances where everybody joins in, Jones said. The electric slide and stroll along cha cha are favorites.
People don’t have to have a partner. “Most of the time, there tend to be more women than men,” Jones said. There are men who make sure all the ladies get a chance to dance, he said.
The crowd usually numbers 50 to 70 people of all skill levels, so beginners are welcome, he said. The dances are free, but a $5 donation is requested to help cover live music and snacks.